Monday, May 25, 2009

Press Release of Beit Hanoun Local Initiative about Israeli threats

Beit Hanoun, Gaza
During the early hours of the morning today, Monday May 25, 2009, the occupation forces dropped by their war planes a container with flyers which include statements that threaten to attack the Palestinians living in Beit Hanoun closest to the 1948 lands. The flyers stated that any civilian who gets 300 metres or less from the borders they will be shot. Previously, on the 27th of December 2008, the IOF had stated it will attack any civilian that is 1 km or less from the border.

The Beit Hanoun Local Initiative coordinator, Saber al Zaaneen, stated that this was an unjust unilateral decision by the occupation forces which directly affects the livelihoods of hundreds of Palestinians that work on their land, dependent on harvesting and plantation.
Zaaneen also stated that the occupation forces had directly shot at a group of volunteers near the borders on July 1, 2008, who had arranged for weekly demonstrations to occur. Despite the IOF targeting them, the volunteers persisted their way.
After the latest genocidal attacks against the Palestinian people, the IOF disallowed civilians, farmers and volunteers, from being 1 km or less from the borders, as well as destroying all homes, plantations and farmlands present within that distance.
Today's IOF decision of attacking anyone within 300 m from the borders is a farce, as they had already been doing so from the start, as well as disallowing farmers from getting to their lands. This is just another way that the occupation forces exercise their neo-colonialist tactics and operations.
The Beit Hanoun Local Initiative urges all people of good conscience to stand by the Palestinian people in those harsh cicumstances, in acts of solidairty and thereby enabling the volunteers to continue their work and support them as such.